2008 – Page 97

Dominican officials are blaming Hurricane Ike for the continued high prices of gasoline in the DR. Industry and Commerce Minister Jose Ramon Fadul says prices remain high because 17 refineries were closed in the US due to Ike. He said there have been significant reductions in oil reserves due to the storm. Fadul is denying …

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The UASD has announced the creation of a new science department by a 56% majority vote. But not everyone is happy. Higher Education Minister Ligia Amada Melo is furious about the UASD’s decision to approve the creation of the new department, arguing that the DR lacks the necessary staff to run it. She adds that …

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In the past two years the Metropolitan Transport Police (AMET) office has announced a series of costly measures aimed at modernizing the institution, increasing efficiency and reducing the number of traffic offenders. But few objectives have been accomplished, despite hefty investments. Diario Libre reminds readers about the purchase of 1,200 automatic ticket machines costing RD$31 …

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A judge has authorized the use of public force to seize archived tapes from the offices of investigative journalists Huchi Lora and Nuria Piera. The unedited tapes are said to include unaired footage of interviews with Ladom managers. Ladom, beneficiary of 40% of public school breakfast drink supplies in last school year, sued the journalists …

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Though Monsignor Nouel (Bonao) governor Nestor Francisco Melenciano was removed from his post following the housing distribution scandal, the Catholic Church and Bonao residents say the change means nothing. According to residents quoted in Hoy, they could have 20 new governors and nothing would change. One resident of the donated houses declared: “If they try …

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National Police spokesperson Nelson Rosario has announced that 13 men will be charged with the 4 August massacre of seven men in Bani. An eighth man, Olin Gomez from Nicaragua, survived the killing by playing dead, and has served as key witness. The accused include former National Police officer Major Frederick Guillermo Medina Abud, Noe …

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In an editorial in Diario Libre, Homero Figueroa says that the police report and accusations are surprising, not for the 13 names that are on the list of accused, but for the ones that are omitted. “The report on the Paya case provides details about the men who carried out the murders, but it says …

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Guillermo Tejeda, father of murdered National Drug Control Department officer Guillermo Antonio Tejeda Kranwinkel, said yesterday that several people linked to the Paya massacre of seven men suspected of drug dealing operations had paid hefty sums to be left out of the case the National Police has classified as an “international drug trafficking” case. As …

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Convicted banker Luis Alvarez Renta, who was also president of Wadeville Investments Ltd, Interduty Free and Bankinvest, has been ordered by a US court to pay US$176 million in fines for making fraudulent transfers in relation to the 2003 Baninter bank scandal. The courts had rejected a petition for revision of the judgment that was …

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This coming Saturday, 20 September, from 9am, all are invited to join a global beach cleaning campaign organized by volunteers the world over. In the DR, the effort has the backing of the Ministry of Environment. Those who would like to participate are invited to email the volunteer leaders in the list below to get …

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